Strand coiling and winding apparatus



Oct. 19, 1948. D. E; HENNESSY 2,451,731

v STRAND COILING AND WINDING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 19, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet l l N VE N TO R DA mu. f. l'lsmvsssr ATTORNEYS pct. 19, 1948. D. E E Y 2,451,731

STRAND COILING AND WINDING APPARATUS FiledNov. 19, 1945 v '3 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR DANIEL E. Hsunzssv BY Wt ATTORNEYS Oct. 1-9, 1948. D. E. HENNESSY STRAND COILING AND WINDING APPARATUS 3 Shets-Shee't 3 Filed Nov. 19, 1945 INVENTOR DANIEL E. HENNESSY BY pm ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 19, 194

STRANDCOILING AND WINDING APPARATUS Daniel E. Hennessy, Petersham, Mass., assignor to Springfield'- Wire and Tinsel Company, West Springfield; Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 19, 1945, Serial No. 629,324

7 4 Claims. V

This invention relates to a novel filter mass formed of metallic. wire and to a novel method and apparatus for producing it under controllable conditions so that the density may vary in a predetermined manner throughout the mass. Thus in a filter in which a gas or liquid is drawn longitudinally through a cylindrical or conical mass the density may be made less at the entrance end, so that the larger particles may be removed'without plugging, and the density increased towards the outlet end to remove smaller particles.

In accordance with my invention I form the entire filter mass from a single length of wire which is treated in a manner to be described so thatv it is inv the form of a helix or is stressed so as to have an inherent tendency to tangle, as maybe desired for the particular product. 'l he size of the helix, or the tightness of the tangle, the tension under which the treated wire is wound up, and the speed of the traverse mechanism may be varied either alone or in combination so that the density and size of the mass may be varied progressively as may be desired. Thus thev heliX o'r tangle may be made coarse at all times when the wire is being wound on one end of. the wind up reel, and fine when the other end is being wound. The tension under'whic'h the strand is being wound may' be increased at such times as that end of the mass which is to be dense is being wound, and may be changed. as the diameter of the mass increases. To keep the diameter. of all parts as desired the speed of: the traverse mesh anism' may vary for' different longitudinal portions of the mass.

, In addition to these broad features of the in= ven-t'io'n the mechanism: for forming the curled or stressed strand has been altered and improved so that the character of the product can be changed periodically if desired in synchroni'sm with the winding of the strand' on different portions of the wind-up; The added controls" are also of use for giving more exact control of the character of the product even where it is not necessary to vary these controls periodically.

t The invention will now be described with refer ence to the accompanying drawingsin' which Fig. l is a longitudinal section through a flier spindle embodying certain features of the inven tion: Fig; 2"isa diagrammatic view showingthe inanner in which the spindle, is associated with the windi-upjmechanism; f Fi'gj'e" is a detairof" cn'e" form of traverse;

Fig. 4 is a detail showing one way of periodically varying the speed of wind-up Fig. 5 is a detail of a rheostat shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an end view of the spindle shown in Fig. 1 L

Fig. 7 is a detail of a guide rod; and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic perspective of one'form of product made in accordancewi-th the invention.

Referring first to Fig. 1', the spindle is supported in a housing I which may be mounted in any desired way in the machine frame. Within this housing are ball bearings 2 carrying the spindle 3. Outside the housing the spindle is provided with a pulley 4 by which it may be rotated, and which has an annular portion 5 which serves to support certain parts to be described. A spool support 6 is adjustably held by a nut 1 so as to press with a regulable tension against a washer 8 bearing against a spring 9 the nut Hi which clamps the pulley iv in place. The spool ll carrying the flattened wire I2 is frictionally held upon the sleeve support in the usual way.

Secured to the annulus 5 is a yieldable fiyer it of the spring metal having a guide eye or loop It at its outer end,- and a plurality (generally three) of rods I5 which balance the spindle against the weight of the fiyer 13'. The wire I2 is led from thespool I l to the flier eye M over one of the rods 15 which is provided with a guide notch 96 (Fig. 7) so that as the Withdrawal point of the wire travels from oneend to the other of the spool the angle with which the wire passes over the fiyer eye will not be constantly varying. The importance of this will. appear below.

The rear end of the housing l is shown as being closed by a plate ll held in place by a cap I8 threaded in place on the housing. Packing material I9 may be used to preventthe escape of lubricant. rotation by a pin 28. Extending through the housing and spindle is a sleeve 2!! the end 22 of which projects out of the right hand end of the spindle for a purpose to be described. A pin 23 passes through the plate I? into a slot 2d in the sleeve to hold the latter against rotation while permitting it to be moved endwise to vary the extent of its projection beyond the spindle; Mechanism is provided for varying the position of the sleeve either manually or automatically during the operation of the spindle. As shown, this mechanism comprises a lever 25 having a fulcrum 2t? and a pin and slot connection 21 with the sleeve at one end. At the other end the lever has a roll 28 held by aspring 29 against a cam 30 on a shaft 3|. 'This shaft may be rotated manually if ad:

The plate I! may be held against iustment only is desired, but is preferably driven in timed relation to the other parts of the machine if periodic variation is to be obtained.

Passing freely through the sleeve is a rod 32, which may be guided by disks 33 within the sleeve. At one end this rod is threadedinto a block 34 slidable in the sleeve and to which a mandrel 35 is screwed. This mandrel, or needle, is polygonal (generally square) in cross section and is pyramidal in form, tapering gradually at one end and being provided with a curved heel 36. In its general shape the mandrel may be similar to those hitherto used for making helically coiled wire on a spindle of the flyer type. The mandrel supporting rod 32 is arranged similarly to the sleeve 2| for longitudinal movement and is preventedfrom rotation by a pin 31 sliding in slots 38 in the sleeve. For obtaining the longitudinal movement a lever 39 has a fulcrum -46 and a pin and slot connection 4| with the rod; its other end having a roll 42 held by a spring 43 against a cam 44 on a shaft 45.

In the operation of the mechanism thus far described the flattened strand of wire [2 passes from spool l I over the guide notch [6 to the fiyer eye I l. As it passes over the flyer eye the strand is stretched at one side so that it has an inherent tendency to spring into a coil which may be of the spiral watch spring type or a right or left hand helix depending upon whether the strand passes over the wire of the eye at right angles or a different angle to the plane in which the strand travels. The strand then passes with or without a half turn to the mandrel and as the fiyer eye rotates about the mandrel is laid thereon in a helix which slides off on account of the tapering form of the mandrel. Control of the form of the resulting product by variation in the angle of the flyer eye, and by the presence or absence of the half turn is fully described in my prior Patents 2,240,185, Apr. 29, 1941, and 2,287,879, and in my applications for Patents Ser. Nos. 585,529, 585,530, and 585,531, filed March 29, 1945, and need not be repeated here. It suffices to say that a normal helix, a modified helix with the plane of its loops nearly in the line of the length of the coiled strand, a generally helical product having a scalloped appearance, or a tangled mass may be produced at will.

In accordance with the present invention additional control of the form of the resulting product are provided. The end 22 of the sleeve has the functions of guiding the strand to the desired place on the heel of the mandrel. In the position shown in the drawing the strand passes the sleeve with little or no bending. With the sleeve in this position the point of contact of the strand with the heel of the mandrel is controlled by shifting the mandrel in and out of the tube. The further up on the heel the strand first strikes the larger the helix produced or the coarser the tangled mass, whether a helix or a tangle is produced depending on whether a half turn is or is not given to the strand between the flyer eye and the mandrel. It is thus possible to make a fine product for some portions of the wound mass and a coarse product for others by shifting the mandrel gradually or periodically. If the length of the ilyer Wire 13 and the position of the sleeve are such that the strand passes over the end of the sleeve at a substantial angle the sleeve will act as a curling edge which will supplement or partially erase the stress set up in the strand by the fiyer eye. While this 'efiect may be utilized in some cases it is generally both unnec- 4 essary and undesirable, as sufiicient control of the curl may be had from the eye alone. To decrease this curling edge action the end of the sleeve may be rounded.

The strand is drawn off the mandrel and wound up by a reel 46 here shown as having a series of four pins 41. The reel is continuously rotated, its rotating mechanism being diagrammatically shown as comprising a belt 18 and a variable speed motor 49 although an additional speed reduction unit would usually be interposed between the motor and the reel. Abar or roller 50 having an adjustable mounting 5| is preferably placed near the mandrel. By passing the strand over this bar the angle at which the strand leaves the mandrel can be controlled. I have found that for different types of product there is an optimum point and angle at which the strand should leave the mandrel to insure uniformity of product, and the use of the guide bar affords a simple means of maintaining these constant conditions.

A traverse mechanism is also provided which distributes the strand along the reel to produce the desired distribution of mass as may be de-' sired and in many cases to give stability to the product by cross winding. The traverse is here shown in a simple form, embodying a bar 52 mounted in guides 53 and having a guide eye 54. The bar is reciprocated as by a lever 55 fulcrumed at 56 and having a pin and slot connection 51 with the bar at one end and a cam roll 58 at the other held by a spring 59 against a cam 60 on a shaft 55. The contour of the cam may be changed as required to give the desired distribution of mass. Thus by causing the traverse to move more slowly near one end of, the reel than near the other a greater length of strand will be wound at the first end than at the second. If the variation in thickness which would normally occur under these conditions is not desired the mandrel 35 may be shifted concurrently with the traverse so that a smaller coil is delivered during such times as the traverse is moving slowly. In this way the density of the mass may be varied progressively from one end to the other.

Mechanism has also been provided whereby the rate at which the winding reel is rotated may be varied. The variable speed motor 49 is shown as provided with a control resistance in the form of a coiled wire 62 contained within a curved glass tube 63 as shown in Fig. 5. A mercury drop 64 makes contact between the wire 62 and a second wire 65, this contact shifting as the tube is tilted. A more complete description of such a device will be found in the patent to Shipley 2,023,748, Dec. 10, 1935. The curved tube is mounted on an arm 66 pivoted at 51 to a bar 68 slidin in bearings 59. A lower bar 10 slides in bearings H and is coupled to the lever as shown at 12'. The two bars are reciprocated as by cams l3 and It, mounted on shafts 15 and 16 suitably driven in timed relation to the traverse. By changing the forms of the cams any desired speed of windup may be had at any particular period. By having two cams, and by driving their shafts at different speeds, it is possible to shift the speed continuously as the traverse passes from one end to the other of its travel and also to change the speed of wind up as the diameter, and thus circumference, of the wound mass increases. In particular the linear speed of windup may be kept constant or varied as desired by regulating the rotative speed of the windup to produce the circumferential speed of the wound mass desired. 7

I claim:

1. In a strand coiling apparatus of the type comprising a non-rotating polygonal tapered mandrel having an outwardly curved heel, a wire-supplying spool mounted for rotation about the axis of the mandrel, a fiyer eye rotatable about the axis of the mandrel, guiding the wire from the spool to the mandrel and of suiiiciently small size to act as a curling edge, and means for keeping the wire taut; a sleeve surrounding the mandrel between the mandrel and the spool and having a free end positioned in the path of the wire between the flyer eye and the mandrel to direct the wire to the heel of the mandrel, and means for causing relative axial movement between the sleeve and the mandrel during rotation of the fiyer eye to control the place of engagement of the wire with the heel of the mandrel.

2. In a strand coiling apparatus of the type comprising a non-rotating polygonal tapered mandrel having an outwardly curved heel, a wire-supplying spool mounted for rotation about the axis of the mandrel, a flyer eye rotatable about the axis of the mandrel guiding the wire from the spool to the mandrel and of sufllciently small size to act as a curling edge, and means for keeping the wire taut; a sleeve surrounding the mandrel between the mandrel and the spool and having a free end positioned in the path of the wire between the fiyer eye and the mandrel to direct the wire to the heel of the mandrel, and cyclically operable means for causing relative axial movement between the sleeve and the mandrel to shift the place of engagement of the wire with the heel of the mandrel and thereby produce periodic changes in the size of the coils of the wire formed on the mandrel.

3. In a strand coiling apparatus of the type comprising a non-rotating polygonal tapered mandrel having an outwardly curved heel, a wiresupplying spool mounted for rotation about the axis of the mandrel, a flyer eye rotatable about the axis of the mandrel guiding the wire from the spool to the mandrel and of sufficiently small size to act as a curling edge, and means for keeping the wire taut; a sleeve surrounding the mandrel between the mandrel and the spool and having a free end positioned inthe path of the wire between the fiyer eye and the mandrel to direct the wire to the heel of the mandrel, and means for causing relative axial movement between the sleeve and the mandrel during rotation of the flyer eye to control the place of engagement of the wire with the heel of the mandrel, a reel for winding .up the curled wire delivered from the mandrel, and means for varying the linear speed of rotation of the windup reel in timed relation to the changes in relative position of the mandrel and sleeve.

4. In a strand coiling apparatus of the type comprising a non-rotating polygonal tapered mandrel having an outwardly curved heel, a wiresupplying spool mounted for rotation about the axis of the mandrel, a flyer eye rotatable about the axis of the mandrel guiding the wire from the spool to the mandrel and of sufficiently small size to act as a curling edge, and means for keeping the wire taut; a sleeve surrounding the mandrel between the mandrel and the spool and having a free end positioned in the path of the wire between the fiyer eye and the mandrel to direct the wire to the heel of the mandrel, means for causing relative axial movement between the sleeve and the mandrel during rotation of the flyer eye to control the place of engagement of the wire with the heel of the mandrel, a reel for winding up the curled wire delivered from the mandrel, means for traversing the curled strand from one end to the other of the windup reel, and means for varying the speed of rotation of the windup reel and the speed of said traverse in timed relation one to another.

' DANIEL E. HENNESSY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,386,350 Montgomery Aug. 2, 1921 2,022,025 Bradford, Jr. Nov. 26, 1935 2,023,748 Shipley Dec. 10, 1935 2,056,213 Sedgley Oct. 6, 1936 2,240,185 Hennessy Apr. 29, 1941 

